HOME!!!

September 20th: It ended with a whirlwind. We got up early to fly to Hong Kong and checked into our hotel in the Kowloon area with our 5 checked bags (we started with 3) and various carry-ons. In addition to the $8 suitcase from Nanchang I picked up a "Swiss Army" suitcase in Guangzhou. I asked the sales person if it was real or fake, and she assured me it was real. I then pointed out that it had "Swiss Army" nameplates but "Samsonite" zipper pulls. The price went down substantially.

We grabbed a bite to eat before heading to Ocean Park, an aquarium/amusement park on the Southern end of Hong Kong island. We took the famous White Star Ferry across the harbor, a lovely 15 minute journey that cost us a total of $.70 for all four of us. That served as the only inexpensive thing in Hong Kong, as far as I could tell. We had little time, but made the most of it, taking in a dolphin and sea lion show, the panda bears, a ride in a tethered hot-air balloon, and a round-trip cable car journey over the mountain.

We then made the mistake of returning to Stanley Market, only to arrive as the shops were closing, so headed back to our hotel, picking up a rather unclimactic dinner of instant noodles from the 7-Eleven. Our hotel room, which cost about 3 times as much as the one in Nanchang, was so tiny we could hardly move past each other in it. Location, location, location. The next morning, the 21st, Kerri enjoyed her first Starbucks visit since arriving, and we had rolls. Breakfast in the 3 times as expensive hotel was not included, but available for the bargain price of $25 per person. We passed. I should note I was the one who found this gem of a hotel.

We made it to the airport in plenty of time, and did some last minute shopping. The flight this time was full, and a little longer, at 14 hours, because Hong Kong is farther South than Beijing. Again, because our flight path was closer to the North pole than Hawaii, it's more about North/South than East/West. The flight was challenging in a number of ways. We had to dump our hot water from our thermos for security reasons, so were at the mercy of flight attendants to make bottles for Sophie. We had a lap ticket, meaning Sophie didn't have her own seat, but instead had to sit on our laps. This made eating, sleeping, and bathroom trips more tricky. Finally, we had a couple with an 8 month old child sitting in front of us. They were the first people from Australia I have ever found to be annoying. They were demanding and rude with the flight attendants and the poor soul who had to sit next to them, and relied on a toy to pacify their son, a battery-operated monkey banging on a drum and screeching. They were completely oblivious to the aggravation this caused all of us sitting around them.

After not a lot of sleep, we made it to Chicago, for our fifth and final trip through customs. (Hong Kong is considered an international destination, even from within China.) Because Sophie was traveling on a Chinese passport, we had to go through the "visitor" line, followed by the "new immigrant" area. There we handed over the sacred "brown envelope" from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou to the immigrations officer. Without fanfare, he passed us through, officially making Sophie a U.S. citizen. I'm sorry to say we were too tired to much care at that point. We passed our bags through the department of agriculture and rechecked them for the flight to Cedar Rapids. Upon clearing customs we were met by a sign which read "Sophie". It was held by Grandma Goers. My folks met Sophie in person for the first time, shot photos, resupplied us with snacks and drinks, and visited until we had to catch our next flight. It was great to see them, and the pride in their eyes in seeing their newest grandchild made evident their shared joy.

We barely made our flight to Cedar Rapids, which ended up sitting on the tarmac at O'Hare for more time than the actual flight took, and finally made it to Cedar Rapids. As best I can remember, this was the only flight in which Ethan didn't insist on using the restroom immediately upon landing - you know, when every single person on the plane is standing in the aisles, and no one can move anywhere. That being said, he did have remarkable success making it there. When that kid's gotta go, he goes!

We stopped to use the restroom at the gate, and enjoyed a drink from the drinking fountain - our first drink of tap water in 3 weeks. Strangely liberating. Totally exhausted, we were met by a surprise that gave us new life - joining Kerri's folks to pick us up were Karen and Jacob Van Osdol, and Kirk and Sarah Bailey and family. They were holding up a banner that read, "Welcome Home!" signed by all our friends in Washington. We would later discover that on the way to Cedar Rapids they had dropped off gift baskets and prepared meals at our house. A great man once told me that no day is complete until you have done someone else a favor that can never be repaid. Their day was complete. Their thoughtfulness and generosity could not have meant more to us. We are equally grateful to Lars and Dawn Anderson for mowing our yard and loaning us their infant car seat, Mike and Kathi Anderson for stopping by our house and dropping off "girly" toys ahead of our return, as well as a welcome home gift for Ethan, and to Kerri's folks, who took in Darby for the whole 3 weeks, got us safely to and from the airport, and took care of the house while we were gone. Thanks to my folks, Dick and Ellie Goers, for posting to this site when we couldn't, for meeting us at the airport, and for all their love and support. Thanks to all of you who communicated with us via e-mail while we were gone, and for sharing the highs and lows of this 3-year journey with us. We would be honored to be judged by the company we keep.

I will leave you with an image that is simple, but the most satisfying for me - Sophie, safely and contently asleep, in her new home.

For those of you who haven't had a chance to see her yet, please stop by - we're anxious to show her off. Thanks again for being part of our lives. We're richer for it.

Love,

Eric, Kerri, Ethan, and Sophie Goers